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Have a Wild West Time at Old Tucson

by Reporter Elizabeth Luchies,
Sunrise Drive Elementary

Giddyup! Get on over to Old Tucson Studios, where you feel like you’re in the Wild, Wild West.

There are many things you can do at Old Tucson with your whole family. You can look inside many different old buildings—a schoolhouse, a mine, a taxidermy shop, an apothecary, a cemetery, a church and a regular house. In addition, there are great restaurants, like Big Jake’s, an ice cream parlor with great flavors and a coffee shop with homemade fudge. And there are great shops for candy, souvenirs and everything in between.

Plus, there are so many shows and activities. There are gun shows, comedy shows, stunt shows and even a musical. The activities are panning for gold, visiting the haunted mine, driving horseless carriages, riding a carousel and canoeing on a mini river.

New HP Flick Best One Yet!

by Reporter Shane Weinstein
Ironwood Ridge High School

J.K. Rowling’s teen wizard Harry Potter is back in the film “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.” Many say that this might be the best H.P. flick yet!

Although I hated the summer blockbusters “Transformers 2” and “I Love You Beth Cooper,” I have no complaints whatsoever about this flick. I absolutely loved the film! Coming from the perspective of a young man who has read all seven novels and has seen the other five Harry Potter movies, this is the best film to be released thus far in the series. It’s also one of the most true to the book.

“Half Blood Prince” is the sixth installment of the epic tale. This time around, there is less action to the story and more meat. The movie focuses on teen romance and deep, dark secrets.

Harry is spending time with Hogwarts’ headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, trying to unravel the mystery of how Tom Riddle became the powerful dark wizard Lord Voldemort. Harry’s archenemy, Draco Malfoy, is faced with a dark, difficult mission assigned to him by Voldemort. Ron Weasley, Harry’s best friend, enjoys his fame as the Gryffindor Quidditch team’s (goal)keeper. Hermione Granger, Harry’s other best friend, loathes Ron’s girlfriend.

At the same time, Voldemort is growing stronger, and so is his army.

“Half Blood Prince” is an enjoyable movie for the whole family. It has adventure and humor, and it’s great to see the growth that the characters have had! Four and a half stars out of five!

Michael Jackson Faced Big Challenges

by Reporters Sammy Cartwright,
Tucson Country Day School
and Anna Malkin,
Hudlow Elementary

Michael Jackson’s tragic death on June 25 spoke to the world. Jackson lived an amazing life, entering the spotlight at the young age of 10 and ending his reign as the King of Pop at age 50. His first band was called The Jackson Five.

Jackson’s life was hard; his challenges were so big he had trouble facing them. But Jackson was the King of Pop and always will be.

Stamp Camp Fascinates Philatelist

by Reporter George J. Arden III
Holladay Intermediate School

The U.S. Postal History Foundation delivered lots of fun to the children who attended its Stamp Camp this summer. At Stamp Camp, you got to design your own binder, make a little passport and a mini stamp collection, and much more.

Lisa Dembowski, education director for the Postal History Foundation, helped kids learn many interesting things through stamps. We learned about stamp history, collecting tools and types of stamps. We even got to bring home lots of samples of stamps from around the world. We did a fun and difficult crossword that used words like cachet, philatelist and perforation gauge. Don’t know what those words mean? Then go to Stamp Camp!

For more info or to bring postal history to your class, call the Postal History Foundation at 623-6652.

Happy Birthday, America!

By Reporter Stephanie Bai
Homeschool

BOOM! Fireworks exploded over the Westin La Paloma golf course on the 4th of July in a show of red, yellow and blue.

Adults chatted and kids ran around and had glow stick throwing contests. Because it was so dark, you could only see the glow sticks.

As the fireworks burst in the air, people cheered and listened to a few famous speeches: “Four score and seven years ago, our founding fathers fought for this great nation (Abraham Lincoln)…I have a dream! One day my four children will live in a country where they will not be judged by the color of their skin (Martin Luther King Jr.).”

As people listened to the speeches roll and the fireworks boom, they thought about this great nation, the land we call America. Happy 234th birthday, United States of America!

Make Some Monsoon-Time Fun

by Reporter Aryana Pacheco,
Hudlow Elementary School

When monsoons are here, it’s not safe to go outside during a storm. When a storm comes, go inside!

My little brother and I were in a storm. We ran inside and we didn’t have anything to do. We made a board game! Here’s how you do it:

You get a piece of poster board and write ‘start’ on it. Then you make spaces. They can be circles, squares or any shape. When you find a place where you want to stop, write ‘finish.’ You can color in all the spaces.

Fold some paper into a cube and write numbers on it, like a dice. Now find players to play with you. You also need some items to be your game pieces, which keep track of where you are on the board. You can use a crumbled piece of paper, a marble or something small.

Eat at Home for Good Health

By Reporter Mohammad Karim,
Carson Middle School

If getting healthy was one of your New Year’s resolutions, you’re not alone. How are you doing so far? Have you kept your promise to eat better and exercise more?

If you’re having trouble of have not made much progress, one significant step you can make toward healthier eating is to make an effort to prepare more meals at home.

Did you know that, on average, Americans eat one out of every five meals out of the house? In 1999, American households spent an average of $2,116—that’s $846 per person—on food away from home, according to the National Restaurant Association. Today, half of the money Americans spend on food is spent in restaurants.

Could it be that this steady rise in restaurant eating and commercially prepared meals could be related to the incidence of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure in our country? When people eat out frequently, they are likely consuming more fat, sodium and calories than they would if they chose to eat more meals at home.

Although there are often healthy items from which to choose when you go out to eat, it becomes difficult to select these with so many deep-fried, artery-clogging temptations on most menus. In addition, the oversized portions that many food establishments serve don’t help our waistlines. Even the best-laid plans to eat healthy may go by the wayside when the menu is placed before you.

There are two reasons I often hear explaining why people like to eat out so much. First, they say they don’t have time to prepare a meal. Second, they don’t like the taste or quality of the food they prepare. Let’s address the time issue. If you plan ahead, you can prepare a meal, eat it and clean up in the same amount of time it took for you to drive to a restaurant, wait for a table, order, wait for your food, eat, wait for your check, pay your bill and drive home!

Spread Some Love with a New Do

by Reporter Sammy Cartwright,
Tucson Country Day School

Earlier this year, I went to the hairdresser to get my hair cut for Locks of Love. This organization takes donations of hair from healthy people. It uses the hair to make wigs for children with cancer and other illnesses. These kids have undergone chemotherapy, a treatment for cancer that makes their hair fall out.

To participate, you have to be able to cut off at least 10 inches of hair.

I donated 14 inches of my hair to this good cause. Go to www.locksoflove.org/donate to see how it works.

Egg Drop Contest Cracks Kids Up

by Reporter Alan Cheng,
Doolen Middle School

Hopeful students give a box, soft toy or parachute holding an egg to a firefighter. Then the firefighter and a lucky teacher are lifted 100 feet in the air by a fire truck. Down below, the students begin chanting, “Drop it! Drop it! Drop it!” The teacher selects a container, holds it straight out and drops it. And that begins the Annual Egg Drop at Lineweaver Elementary.

The Egg Drop has been a tradition every year at Lineweaver. Fifth-graders are required to do it, but anyone who wants a challenge or to have some fun may join! My fifth-grade teacher, Mark Olbin, started the tradition over 30 years ago after he read about an egg drop at a high school. He brought it to Lineweaver, and it was a huge “smash!”

At 56, Olbin still goes up 100 feet in the fire truck. There are all sorts of designs intended to avoid scrambled eggs! Many failed, but some prevailed. Olbin challenges his fifth-grade GATE (gifted and talented) class to create contraptions that don’t use a parachute, box or soft toy. I created a straw fortress and put my egg inside. One of my friends created an egg drop that worked like a helicopter so that it gently landed on the asphalt.

This year’s egg drop was the most exciting yet. There were many ingenious ideas that worked, like the helicopter, a spike ball and a rocket. We ended this year’s egg drop with a delectable watermelon explosion! A watermelon with an egg stuffed into it took the big fall. The melon exploded into a zillion tiny bits, but surprisingly, the egg was perfectly intact!

The egg drop has become a part of Lineweaver. I may have to go back and visit just to see this year’s egg drop.

Ranch Sorting Sport of the West

by Reporter Drema Harmon,
Altar Valley Middle School
Adviser: Virginia Harmon

Ranch sorting originated in California many years ago for the purpose of sorting out cattle to be branded. It became a sport several years ago. A team of two on horseback has to cut the herd of cattle in a specific order, out of one pen and into another, in 60 seconds or less!

It’s so fun, no wonder that it’s fast becoming the top equine event for the entire family. It’s truly a sport that reflects our Western heritage. In June, my brother, Derrick Ingram, and I went to the Ranch Sorting National Championshipis in Ponca City, Okla. We took 10th place.

Any kid interested in learning this fun sport can call Ranch Sorters at (520) 360-4996 and speak with Bob Bishop or David Williams. They are always willing to teach and give kids hands-on experience.

Street Fair Road to Food and Fun

by Reporter Christina Parks,
Challenger Middle School

Have you ever been to a street fair? I have. It’s a fabulous sight to see. First there is the food. The pizza was nice and soft, and the piece was as big as your face. I loved the food!

Then there is the music. A little boy and an older man were playing a guitar and singing. Also, some older women were singing something about tea and cake. They were good! Oh, and there was cake, too. You could smell it a mile way.

There were rides as well. My cousin and I went on a time travel game. My sister went on a rock wall. We also tried to ride a curvy bike. Of course, there were shops. We bought glasses and earrings. The most fun thing about going to the street fair, though, was being with my family.

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